Oral Health for Older Adults: An Interprofessional Workshop for Medical Students

Abstract

Introduction: Because many older adults lack dental insurance and have limited or no access to dental care, it is essential to train future physicians to conduct brief oral health assessments on them. Likewise, interprofessional educational experiences are crucial in teaching medical students the skills necessary to provide comprehensive, team-based care to complex and vulnerable populations. Thus, this workshop was designed to increase fourth-year medical students' knowledge and confidence in performing oral health examinations on older adult patients using an interprofessional and hands-on approach. Methods: The curriculum includes an online presession self-study module followed by a 75-minute workshop. The workshop is comprised of a brief introduction (5 minutes), a lecture about the impact of oral health on older adults (30 minutes), a hands-on skill session practicing a focused oral exam led by dental students (30 minutes), and a large-group debrief and wrap-up (10 minutes). Results: A pre-/postsurvey assessed learners' knowledge, attitudes, and confidence in oral health skills. The results were compared to a lecture-only format that was in place prior to the implementation of the workshop. In comparison to medical students who received the lecture-only format, those who participated in the workshop showed a greater increase in confidence and skills over time. The medical students also expressed interest in more frequent opportunities for collaborative learning experiences with dental students. Discussion: This workshop was successful in introducing an interprofessional experience to medical students in order to ensure more comprehensive and coordinated care for older adult patients in the future.

Oral Health Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease: More than Meets the Eye

“…Regarding clinicians' education, oral health modules developed in cooperation with dentistry schools and targeted to neurologists and PD nurses should be considered, as previous experiences of integrating such educational programs into the medical curriculum were positively received [170][171][172]. In order to enhance knowledge of PD oral and general specificities and limitations, dental students should join PD rounds in teaching hospitals whenever possible [21].…”

Geriatric Assessment in a Primary Care Environment: A Standardized Patient Case Activity for Interprofessional Students

“…However, preexisting cases tend to focus on very specific aspects of geriatric medicine (e.g., unintentional weight loss, fall risk, and oral health care) or involve limited interprofessional interactions. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] However, our scenario differs by incorporating health professions students from seven different areas of health care and, in doing so, offers a broad, comprehensive overview of geriatric care.…”

Parkinson's Disease Oral Health Module: Interprofessional Coordination of Care

“…7–12 Though interprofessional collaborations between dental health professionals and primary care physicians have been discussed previously, no such resource exists regarding collaborations with specialized physicians such as neurologists. 13–15 Interprofessional collaborations to treat patients with PD have been studied and have proven to be very beneficial for the patient; however, no study to date has included a dental health professional in such teams. 16 A primary goal of this resource is to emphasize the need for dental health professionals to become active members of the interprofessional health care team for patients with PD.…”